Sri Lanka

On December 26, 2004, Sri Lanka was devastated by the tsunami which developed following the massive earthquake off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. This was one of the worst natural disasters in history, and left a trail of indiscriminate death and destruction in Sri Lanka. By November 2005, the Sri Lankan government had reported 35,322 dead, and 516,150 people displaced. More than 276,000 jobs were lost and 103,836 homes were damaged, of which 65,275 were destroyed or rendered unusable.

But humanitarian concerns in Sri Lanka extend beyond tsunami recovery. Sri Lanka suffered a vicious civil war between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from 1983 until the cease-fire agreement of February 2002. More than 60,000 people were killed in the conflict and 350,000 are still displaced. The costs of the civil war have resulted in a cutback in health and educational expenditures and services.

It is estimated that a recent escalation of violence in the region has forced more than 200,000 people from their homes and led to the deaths of more than 1,500 people in 2006 alone; exact figures are unavailable due to the constant movement of people and limited access in the government-restricted areas. The situation remains extremely dangerous for innocent civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict.

Sri Lanka is an island located off the southeastern coast of India, with a total population of 19.2 million inhabitants. The pre-tsunami average yearly income was around $4,000 per person, and the average life expectancy was 70 years. However, much wealth is concentrated in urban areas, with the majority of the population living in poorer rural areas. Women, and particularly rural women, face limited economic opportunities.